


Warped Cosmology

by tatooedlaura



Series: Life, Part 2 [30]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-29
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-02-08 09:51:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12862014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatooedlaura/pseuds/tatooedlaura





	Warped Cosmology

He let her sleep, disappearing at dawn for a run, then sneaking quietly about the apartment, showering, eating, dressing, leaving again, this time with a note stating he’d be back by noon or before or after, depending on sun angles and Sno-Cone sale prices.

She found said note around 8:45am and promptly returned to bed, amused by how amused she was in her present situation. She’d never woken up in his bed, alone, with his note stating where he was and she’s sure as hell never crawled back into his bed to stretch luxuriously, surrounded by Mulderness and wrinkled sheets. Head nested perfectly in the pillow, she studied his ceiling, then his walls, the windows, curtains, blinds, dresser, mirror, shelves, shoes and map.

She was also naked.

That was possibly the best part.

She was naked and warm and cozy and had absolutely nowhere to go and nothing to do.

And she was in Mulder’s bed.

It was enough to send her rolling to her side, grinning into dented pillow like a college girl who’d just spent her first night in her boyfriend’s apartment. She was too damn old for that feeling but there it was, fluttering her chest, quaking her insides, wondering when he’d return and if he’d jump back in beside her.

Shutting her eyes, she pictured him sliding towards her, naked thighs pressing into hers, chest to back, lips to neck, hand to clit, face buried in the pillow for very different, sound-deadening reasons.

Yeah, she wasn’t waiting for him to get back to take care of a few things.

And she discovered that most of her recent nosebleeds came a few minutes after she did.

&&&&&&&&&

Showered, dressed, bed made, apartment cleaned, lunch debated, trash out, doctor appointment set, she settled down to check her work email, allowing one little slice of reality to intrude into an otherwise self-contained perfection. She was not pleased with the amount in her inbox and setting about deleting crap after crap, she only stopped when she heard the front door open.

Turning in the office chair, which creaked with every degree, she saw his solemn face, any hint of mirth wiped clean, “what happened?”

“Skinner called.”

She dropped him at the airport an hour later, her ticket not until the following evening, after her appointment, “no, you are not canceling, I don’t care how much you fight me, you are not canceling.”

Relenting quickly, not wanting to forgo her appointment any more than he did, “I will fly out tomorrow evening, okay?”

And she kissed him goodbye, apartment to airplane service, “I’ll let you know when I land.”

Tugging on his ear lightly, “you better.”

Once he disappeared into the bowels of the airport, she drove off, oddly empty inside at the unexpected parting and equally unexpected free afternoon and evening. Heavy debate happened between returning to Mulder’s apartment, going to Maggie’s to collect their things, going to work or going to her own apartment, a place she’d barely seen in a good month or so.

Cleaning orgy at her apartment won out, the dust a fine layer, the sense of abandonment acute … the reeking nightmare of rotting hell from the garbage grinder heavy in its revulsion. She’d stopped or had Mulder stop, to get her mail but never needing to get beyond the mailbox in the lobby, neither had smelled, once she’d inspected with flashlight and hesitating fingers, the small chunk of chicken skin wedged to the side of the disposal. Face wrinkled in disgust, she retrieved it, bagged it, washed her hands, emptied the fridge and immediately took out the trash. Next, windows opened, baking soda poured and grinder run, she moved on to the rest of the apartment, half wondering why, every time Mulder went somewhere without her, she cleaned.

It took a few hours to work through things, dinner break included but soon enough, her apartment was spotless, empty and just a tad lonely. She’d been surrounded by children, Mulder, mother and colleagues for weeks now and the stilled silence made her restless for contact, conversation, rescue from her own twisting thoughts.

Maggie for the win as she could hear Mulder saying in her head.

Arriving unannounced at her mother’s, she found several cars in and around the driveway. Making her way in, wondering if she ought to have called first, “Mom?”

Her mother’s voice drifted from the kitchen, “honey, we’re back here.”

She found her way to the kitchen, dropping off shoes and bag on the way, spying Frohike first, then Jake and Charlie, the biggest surprise being Skinner, in t-shirt and jeans, drinking a beer and in deep discussion with Byers. It was enough to stop her in her tracks and honest to God, shake her head in confusion. Delaying her ‘hello’ a moment, she finally returned to the warped cosmology of present day kitchen, “hi. What’s … what’s going on?”

Smiling as her daughter attempted a smooth entrance, “Melvin had some things he promised to show Jake so he and John came by for dinner along with your brother and nephew.” She saw Scully’s eye flit momentarily to Skinner and she continued, “and Walter needed another home cooked meal so I decided to feed them all. I would have called but I didn’t know when Fox was flying out.”

For no real good reason, she blushed, the discussion of her and Mulder floating out there, common and every day at the dinner table with friends and family carrying on their business without even a hiccup in the conversation. Wondering what the hell had happened to her world, she pulled up a chair, joining the fray, spending the next two hours in familial familiarity.

Eventually hugging her brother and her nephew goodbye, then, more awkwardly, Frohike and Byers, she was left with her mother and Skinner. She watched them both standing at the front door, waiting for the Gunmen to pull away from the curb. They were an awkwardly tall and small pair, her mother still balancing on crutches and boots, her boss with his hand friendly on her elbow, keeping her upright, the set looking, somehow, in some parallel universe … like they were supposed to be there, doing that exact thing, at that exact time … all the time.

She stared for too long apparently, because suddenly, there they were, looking at her, Maggie smiling, Skinner wondering, Scully dismissing outlandish ideas and poppycock notions as her grandmother used to say, “honey?”

Scully gave her standard, ‘I’m good’ smile, “yeah, sorry, just … lost track of time for a minute.” Turning on her heel, “I’ll go start the dishes.”

Maggie clumped after her, Skinner following behind, “you don’t have to do that. I can get them tomorrow.”

Hand already on faucet, “I don’t mind.” Calling to her boss, “Walter, grab a towel.”

“Back to Walter, I see,” as he retrieved the dish towel to begin drying.

“Dry them well, Walter or mom will make you wash them again.”

“Running a tight ship there, Maggie?”

Settling at the counter on a stool, Maggie reached for a stray cookie, “with four kids, it was tight ship or no ship and no ship meant chaos.” The silence hung only for a minute before Maggie broke it again, “Dana, what doctor’s appointment do you have tomorrow?”

Sidelong look at Skinner, who trained his gaze out the window, holding onto a shred of innocence, however falsely, given he knew she knew he spilled the beans about why she hadn’t gone with her partner. Had he been Mulder, she would have swung her leg up and kicked him in the rear end, “now, just promise not to get nervous, please, all right?”

“Dana, that is the silliest thing to tell someone and you know it. Now talk.”

“My nose has bled a few more times and Mulder made me promise to go back to the doctor. I made the appointment before Skinner … Walter …” glancing at him, “it really is awkward not to know which to call you now,” looking back at her mother, she continued, “called Mulder so Mulder told me to stay and fly out tomorrow after the appointment. Luckily he knows the sheriff and such out in Phoenix so he’ll have help until I get there.”

“Mulder told you to do something?” Skinner looked quite surprised, figuring Mulder would be dead if he ever told her to do anything.

“I know. I’m shocked I didn’t kill him on the spot.” Bouncing half a smile from Skinner to her mother, “things will be fine but I’d like to get to the bottom of this. I have a few ideas what it might be and I’ll take a look at the MRI myself as well.”

Maggie kept her motherly panic and clenched muscles to herself, exuding calm where no calm existed at present, “would you like company? You can pick me up and I can go with you.”

Knowing her mother and knowing the panic therein, nodded, “I’d like that. Thanks. I have the scan at 7am but I’ll come by and pick you up for the appointment around 3.”

“It’s nearly nine now. You should go home and get to bed if you want to be on-time.”

Once a mom, always a mom, regardless of age, stature and profession of children and she adored it, “I’ll head out in a few minutes. Just want to finish this and get some of my stuff from upstairs.”

Skinner finished his chore a moment after Scully, then, “I should be going as well.” Looking at Scully, “you’re not the only one who has somewhere to be at 7am tomorrow.”

Naturally, Maggie asked where and un-naturally, Skinner answered, an oddness in his voice conveying the nature of his life, a life where no one asked anything because there was no one to do the asking. Scully recognizing the familiar tone as well, having heard it from Mulder for the first year of their partnership, when she would inquire about his weekend or the new pile of books that appeared on the corner of his desk, the rustiness of voice, the stilted words trying to form a proper, conversational sentence.

She hugged him when she left, leaving him to put on his shoes while she headed out into the night.


End file.
